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Pfennig - Hartmann von Froburg
| Issuer | Zofingen, City of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1240-1281 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Uniface bracteate construction; the reverse presents the incuse mirror image of the obverse design, showing the Janiform double bust and tower gate in sunken relief, as is standard for thin hammered silver bracteates of this period. The incuse impression retains all major design elements in reverse, including the flanking daggers and arched gateway above the conjoined heads. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Zofingen's civic coinage rights derived from its status as a Habsburg-adjacent free town in the Aargau, but this bracteate-era pfennig is associated with Hartmann von Froburg, whose comital family held considerable regional influence until the line died out in 1367. The Froburgs operated as a competing power to the early Habsburgs across much of what is now northwestern Switzerland, and coins struck under their influence often circulated well beyond their nominal territorial authority.
At 0.38 grams, these pieces were struck near the practical lower limit for functional silver coinage, and losses to clipping and fragmentation were substantial.